Skinny Slow-Cooked Carnitas!

Mexican food has always been one of my weaknesses. Just recently, Alex and I went to a restaurant near Sandusky, Ohio and I decided to try carnitas for the first time. Oh man, they were delicious! I don't even want to know how many calories and/or fat went into that entree. I decided to make my own carnitas at home; Now, I know exactly what I'm eating, and I can frequently indulge in Mexican food without that feeling of guilt afterwards.

What you'll need:

2.5 lbs of pork shoulder roast
1 tbsp. minced garlic
cumin
1 tbsp. Goya dry hot adobo all purpose seasoning (found in the international foods aisle of your grocery store)
1 can reduced sodium fat-free chicken broth
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (found in the international foods aisle of your grocery store)
2 bay leaves

What you'll do:

First, go ahead and cut the pork into 3-inch portions (if it isn't already sliced). Season the pork with salt and pepper. On medium heat, brown on all sides for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, insert knife into meat and make a few slits in each portion. These slits will help the meat absorb the flavor of the juices while it is in the slow-cooker.

Pour the whole can of chicken broth into the slow-cooker. Add the bay leaves, chipotle peppers, cumin, minced garlic, and adobo seasoning into the broth and stir well. Add the pork to the broth mixture, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the large portions of pork and place in a large bowl. With a fork, shred the pork into bite-size pieces.

We used 6" Mission brand yellow corn tortillas (80 calories for 2 tortillas), and piled on 1/2 cup pork (200 calories), and topped it with a couple avocado slices (60 calories), and some fat-free shredded velveeta (60 calories).

Mexican food for only 400 calories! ENJOY!

~B